


You Don't Need Saving

by shyngr8



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Coffee Shops, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Love, Love Confessions, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Romantic Fluff, coffee shop!AU, friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27576452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shyngr8/pseuds/shyngr8
Summary: OneShot Coffee Shop!AU Hermione Granger has been working two long years in a coffee shop to save up for her year of travelling. When her visa finally comes through, Sirius Black, the regular she's been falling in love with in that time, takes her out to celebrate.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Sirius Black/Hermione Granger
Comments: 6
Kudos: 66





	You Don't Need Saving

**Author's Note:**

> Slowly posting all my FFN stuff here. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I've enjoyed writing them. A lot of my newer stuff have been written for prompt challenges, which is always fun.

Monday

‘Morning, Hermione,’ Draco Malfoy called into the empty coffee shop he managed. ‘One of these mornings I’ll actually make it in before you.’

‘Not possible,’ she said with a smile to her manager, coming out of the stock room with boxes of pastries to set up for the morning trade.

‘I wish Harry took as much pride in his job as you,’ Draco muttered, shrugging his coat off as he went into the back office.

‘Harry takes advantage of his boyfriend being the boss,’ she called after him.

Draco stuck his head back around the door. ‘His future father-in-law is the owner, he might have a few choice words over Harry’s behaviour.’

Hermione stopped what she was doing to look at Draco, her gloved hands full of pastries. ‘Are you serious?’ He nodded with a wide smile. ‘Draco! You can’t tell me news like that when I’m in the middle of a job!’

‘Don’t you dare hug me, Granger,’ he laughed, going back into the office.

An hour later and the shop was open and filled with office workers grabbing coffee on their way into work. Luna breezed in ready for her shift, her knee-length skirt billowing out behind her as she walked, her long, curly blonde hair plaited down her back. 

‘Morning, everyone,’ she said airily, a couple of the regulars cheerily responding to her while they waited in the queue. ‘Oh, Draco.’ She paused by the till where Draco was serving a rather intense looking businessman in a pinstriped suit, and stared at him. ‘You are simply glowing today. Your aura is radiant. What marvellous news has occurred?’

Draco glanced over at Hermione as she made the next drink in the queue. ‘I’ve not moved from here since we opened, how would I have told her?’

‘Harry and I are engaged,’ he said under his breath, checking the customer wasn’t listening. He was. 

With a raised eyebrow, the intense customer reached into his inside suit pocket and pulled a small piece of card. ‘Best wedding planner you can find, tell him Blaise Zabini sent you,’ he said with a small smirk before moving to wait for his drink.

‘You’re impossible!’ Draco muttered to Luna who gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Another hour later, the queue still going strong, Pansy came stomping into the shop, her black skinny jeans, black t-shirt and black Converse giving her co-workers an idea of what mood she was in. Hermione, still making coffees, and Luna, on the till, glanced at each other, with no time to warn Draco, watching her storm into the back.

‘Ron?’ Hermione mouthed to Luna.

‘Ron,’ Luna mouthed back with a nod.

‘You’re literally not the boss of me!’ Pansy’s voice carried out to them.

‘I think you’ll find I am when you’re in this store, Pansy,’ Draco said firmly.

Seconds later Pansy was back out into the store, tying her apron as she walked over to Hermione. ‘Draco says to go on your break,’ Pansy said in a tone that was more gentle than her expression belied.

‘Morning, Pansy! Light of my life,’ Sirius Black, one of their regulars called as he walked past her to the till.

Hermione felt butterflies in her stomach when she heard his voice. Every time she felt them. She didn’t even need to be out front to know it was him. Her body seemed to instinctively know when he was near.

‘I don’t have the energy to pretend to like you today,’ Pansy said giving him a challenging look.

‘Had an argument with the boyfriend, has she?’ Sirius directed his question to Hermione as she moved away from the bar, giving her a wink.

‘Do you want me to spit in your coffee, because I will,’ Pansy snapped before Hermione could answer. 

Hermione sniggered as she disappeared into the back, glancing back at Sirius, but he was busy turning his charm on Luna now, who was always so indifferent to it. 

She found Draco sat at the computer rubbing his face roughly. ‘Why do I keep her?’ he asked.

‘Because she’s reliable and does a good job,’ Hermione reminded him. ‘She’ll be fine in a bit. She always is.’ And as if on cue, Pansy’s genuine laugh carried through to them. Hermione felt a pang of jealousy of what she was missing out with her favourite customer. Not that he’d ever be interested. He never seemed to interact with her the way he did with everyone else. He was always…distant. Reserved almost.

‘If I could put her ability into Neville’s personality…’ Draco trailed off shuffling through a messy pile of papers, scattering them across the keyboard.

‘When are you going to learn to tidy up?’ she asked, hanging her apron on the door of her locker before moving to start making a pile. ‘What are you looking for?’

‘That!’ He snatched the request diary out of her hand. 

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, desperately ignoring the deep laugh booming out in the store that she knew, with every fibre of her being, belonged to Sirius. A laugh she’d yet to extract herself in the two years she’d been serving him his daily coffees.

X

Tuesday

Hermione raced into the store nearly an hour early for her shift, her phone clutched tightly in her hand, and a smile stuck on her face since she’d opened her emails that morning. She didn’t quite make into the back of the store when she collided with Sirius by the till, a smell of expensive aftershave and leather assaulting her senses as he grabbed her elbows.

‘I know it’s exciting to be in my presence, but calm yourself, sweetheart,’ he said with a smug smile.

‘Sorry, Sirius,’ she said breathlessly, ‘I got my visa!’ She shook her phone at him, not that it was on the screen to be seen. She was too happy to be nervous around him today. ‘It’s finally happening!’ She half-jumped with the excitement still racing through her body. Two years of working in the coffee shop, all the extra shifts, all the days off she’d given up to save the money, and now she could finally go see the world. This was the last piece of the puzzle.

‘That’s fantastic news!’ Sirius said, and she realised he still had hold of her elbows, ‘we should celebrate!’

‘Yes! Wait- we?’ she asked, staring at him in confusion. If she could get away with it, Hermione would stare at his eyes all the time. They were such a dark grey and always looked like they held a hint of sadness.

‘Why not?’ he said.

‘Sirius, unhand my staff,’ Lucius, the owner of the coffee shop, said lazily, coming out of the back office with a pile of folders clutched under one arm, his other holding a coffee.

Sirius laughed as he let go of Hermione, holding his hands up defensively. Shaking her phone at Lucius as he started to pass them, she said, ‘I finally have my visa!’ 

‘Shit,’ Lucius said sharply, the word echoing slightly in the empty store. They were in that strange lull they got on week days just before lunchtime, where no one came in for half an hour except Sirius, like clockwork. And he just laughed loudly at Lucius.

‘Mr Malfoy!’ Luna reprimanded over the bar, handing Sirius his drink. ‘If you’re going to swear, there are better ones to use than shit!’

‘She’s got a point,’ Harry said while stocking up the bottled drinks.

‘Oh Christ,’ Hermione muttered, quickly going into the back before she got stuck in the middle of an argument. She dumped her bag and phone in her locker before going back out to make herself a flat white. She found Sirius still there, standing near the hand-off point, leaning casually on the counter as he sipped his usual black Americano from his reusable cup. 

‘About this celebration,’ Sirius said, spotting her as she made her drink, ‘how about a date on Friday night?’

‘A date?’ Hermione asked stupidly, her stomach swooping with the unexpected question.

‘Yes. A date,’ he smiled, his eyes dancing with mischief. ‘You. Me. Friday. On a date. To celebrate your impending travels.’

Hermione had stopped preparing her drink and was looking at him, trying to work out if some kind of elaborate joke was being played on her. It was no secret with her colleagues, who were really more like family at his point, knew about her crush on Sirius. Had one of them finally blabbed to him?

‘Hermione,’ Luna whispered in her ear, standing behind Hermione so she couldn’t quite be seen by Sirius. ‘You’re staring. Polite people usually answer a question.’

‘Sorry,’ she apologised quickly to Sirius who’s mischievous look was now one of amusement. ‘A date?’ Sirius nodded. ‘Why?’

‘Is that a yes?’

‘It’s a yes,’ Lucius said from the corner he was sat in with his paperwork. ‘She can be a bit slow on the uptake.’

X

Wednesday

Hermione opened the store with Ginny the next day, telling her about Sirius asking Hermione out, and Lucius answering for her.

‘What do I do?’ Hermione asked, putting the float into he till.

‘You go on the date with him,’ Ginny said, turning the coffee machines on.

‘Surely he didn’t mean it,’ Hermione sighed.

‘Hermione, everyone and the fucking dog knows how you feel about him. Including Sirius. He’s just been waiting for you to ask him out.’ 

‘He has not!’ Hermione felt her cheeks burn with shame at the idea of that being true. ‘Has he?’

‘Just go on the date with him. If he ends up being evil, we’ll just kill him.’

‘Ginny!’

‘Don’t worry. We’ll blame you because you’ll be in another country,’ she said with a devious smile.

‘Ginny!’ Hermione laughed loudly.

‘It’ll be fine,’ Ginny reassured her in a moment of seriousness. ‘You go on the date, see how it goes, and if it doesn’t work out, as I said before, you’ll be in another country soon. Besides, he’s actually one of the nice ones.’

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. She had a point. There were one or two customers who got a little pushy with what they expected of them, almost treating the store like their personal coffee shop and the staff like servants. Sirius was liked by all the staff, even Lucius, who hated everyone.

X

Thursday

Hermione was busy going through the items in her small flat of what she was going to put into storage or sell when she got the text asking her to cover Neville’s shift. The poor guy had fallen down the stairs and broken his arm as he was getting ready for work. Without hesitation Hermione told Draco she’d be there. The extra shift was always handy to add to her savings.

When she arrived, Draco almost hugged her in relief. ‘I thought I was going to have to do an all dayer! Harry’ll kill me if I cancel another date night.’

‘Consider it my mission to always make sure you don’t miss date night,’ Hermione said with a laugh, going into the back to hang her bag and coat up, waving to Ginny who was busy cleaning up a spilt milk jug behind the counter.

She found Lucius sat at the computer, his glasses practically balancing on the tip of his nose as he frowned at an email. ‘Everything okay?’ she asked him as way of a greeting.

‘What?’ He looked up and then seemed to come to his senses when he saw Hermione. ‘Looking at C.V.s. Are you sure you absolutely have to leave us? I can sack Draco and make you manager instead.’

‘If I don’t, I’ll settle and keep doing the same old sensible thing,’ she told him firmly. If she was being completely honest, she was terrified to leave, wondering if she was making a mistake.

He nodded, giving her an understanding look. ‘In that case you better have this,’ he said, handing over an envelope.

Frowning, she took it and quickly opened it to find plane tickets to New Zealand leaving in six weeks. ‘What is this?’

‘I thought that would be obvious,’ he said, taking his glasses off. ‘Consider it a bonus for all you’ve done. And to make sure you actually go. Not that I’m trying to get rid of you, but I know how safe you like life to be.’

‘It’s too much,’ she said, tears filling her eyes, trying to shove it back at him.

‘Oh Christ, don’t cry,’ he laughed, standing up to pat her shoulder awkwardly.

‘You had to give her the tickets now? She’s about to start her shift!’ Draco said, giving Hermione a wide berth as she laughed. ‘You’ll be missed though. And not just by us.’

‘Draco,’ Lucius said in a tone Hermione didn’t recognise.

‘What?’ Hermione asked, wiping a lone tear away with the back of her hand.

‘I just meant some of our regulars will be a nightmare because you always get their drinks right,’ Draco said nonchalantly, not looking to either person in the room. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date to get to.’

X

Friday

Hermione, having finished her shift early, had more than enough time to prepare for the date. All day her nerves had been a mess, made worse when Sirius had come in for his coffee and reminded her loudly about their date in front of the afternoon rush.

Wearing a sleeveless, knee-length dark blue dress and with her hair in a messy plait, she arrived at the agreed pub ten minutes early and waited outside, enjoying the warmth of the early spring evening. She didn’t have to wait long. She spotted him across the street looking completely different from his usual concert t-shirt and dark jeans outfits. Tonight he was wearing an actual shirt with a leather jacket. She was beginning to question if she absolutely had to leave the country in a few weeks.

When Sirius spotted her, his face broke out into a warm smile at seeing her, and her nerves went haywire, to the point she was sure she wouldn’t be able to hold a drink without spilling it. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear for something to do with her hands so she didn’t wave like an idiot. 

‘Well aren’t you an absolute sight for sore eyes,’ he said breathily, surprising her with a quick kiss to the cheek, his hand resting on her bare arm. His aftershave smelt clean and expensive.

‘You’re not looking too bad yourself,’ she said, feeling heat rise up her cheeks, the contact between them suddenly calming her. There was rightness to it she couldn’t explain.

‘Well I had to crack out the prized leather jacket for our celebration drink,’ Sirius said, holding the door to the pub open for her.

‘So you admit you’re celebrating seeing the back of me?’ she said with a straight face, not moving to step into the building, surprising herself with how confident she suddenly felt. Sirius’ face fell, which caused Hermione to smirk.

‘Oh! You’ve kept that devious side of you well hidden!’ Sirius laughed loudly as she moved past him into the packed pub.

They stood by the entrance for a moment before Sirius took her hand, his calloused one slipping down her wrist for a moment as he blindly felt for it, before his fingers wrapped around hers. The room was hot but Hermione felt goosebumps pop up at his touch. He pulled her towards a gap at the bar.

As they walked through the room she found everyone seemed to know Sirius as hellos were exchanged to nearly every person they past, along with some hard handshakes with his free hand. ‘Your local, I take it?’ she asked once they did reach the bar.

‘The hoard of fans give it away,’ he said with a grin that said he was going to be dangerous.

‘Or it could mean you like to drink,’ she said with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius learnt quickly, laughing and wagging a finger at her. ‘Nobody’s perfect,’ he said.

‘By the way,’ she said, pulling up their still attached hands between them, ‘why are you holding my hand?’

‘I’m not,’ he said, not letting go. ‘I was just making sure you didn’t get lost, what with all the hoards of fans I have here to watch me drink my liver to an early grave.’ Then he did let go, giving her a wink, so he could wave at the bar person.

An hour later and they were still in the pub, sat close together in a corner as more and more bodies packed into the place. Sirius had an arm flung over the back of the bench they were sat on, his head tilted close to her ear as he spoke, Hermione leaning slightly into him so she could hear him over the chatter and music, her hands struggling not to touch him in some way, instead were clutching at her sides as she laughed at another outrageous school story. She’d not laughed like this in the longest time. Probably since her parents had died three years ago.

‘And that was how we ended up with tattoos at the age of sixteen,’ he finished the story about the first time he and his friend, James, had gotten drunk.

Hermione leant away slightly, her bare arm feeling cool at the lack of connection to him, giving him a skeptical look. ‘Shut up. I don’t believe you.’

‘That’s the honest to goodness truth,’ he protested.

‘Show me,’ she said firmly. Sirius shook his head with a wry smile. ‘It’s not a request, it’s a demand.’ He laughed, loud and proud. She hadn’t realised she could love a sound so much until she’d heard him laugh this way.

‘Darling, I’d be arrested for indecent exposure if I showed you here,’ he said, leaning in heavily to tell her, his breath sending shivers down her spine. She felt a blush creep up her neck. ‘What about you? Any tattoos I should be aware of?’ The blush went higher as the question sounded dirtier than it was meant to.

She shook her head, a curl coming free from her plait. Sirius tucked it behind her ear, causing him to look at him in mild surprise. ‘Not one?’ he asked.

‘Not one,’ she confirmed.

There was a flash of excitement in his eyes. ‘What would happen if I dared you to get one?’

‘Not much of a dare really, I’d always planned on getting one at some point,’ she admitted, finishing the last of her white wine.

‘Is that so?’ he said thoughtfully. ‘No time like the present.’

‘Right now?’ she asked in confusion.

‘Right now!’ He downed the last of his beer, slamming the bottle down on the small table.

‘What? No!’ She pulled her hand away when he went to take it.

‘Come on, Hermione, you only live once!’ he said with a wide smile, standing up and holding his hand out to her. She stared at the open palm, callouses across his palm at the bottom of his fingers. She wondered for a second what he did to get them. ‘It doesn’t even have to be a big one.’

Sighing, Hermione slapped her hand into his. ‘If I regret this I’m never serving you coffee again. And I’m not doing this alone!’

‘Consider it a challenge,’ he said smugly, pulling her out of the bar.

XXXXXX

Not half an hour later they were in a tattoo shop that was still open, and it would appear Sirius knew the artists here too, as he greeted them all with hugs before presenting Hermione like a lamb to slaughter. ‘I bring you a tattoo virgin!’

The three artists started shouting over one another who would get her.

‘I think you’ll find I’ll make that decision,’ Hermione said loudly over them, which shut them up instantly.

‘I never said she was timid,’ Sirius said proudly when they all looked to him.

She folded her arms, eyeing up the tattoos she could see on them. ‘You may each present to me your work. Then I’ll make a decision based on that.’ Sirius sniggered as he moved away to skim through one of the books. She moved to snatch it off him. ‘I don’t think so. You got me in the mess. I’ll be picking your next one.’

‘Oof! Got yourself a winner here, Black!’ the only woman of the three laughed.

‘Does this often, does he?’ Hermione asked, giving Sirius a sharp look. ‘Bring his dates to get a tattoo?’

‘You’re the first,’ the large of the two men admitted.

Sirius turned his back to look at the various designs on the wall, purposefully not looking at anyone. Hermione ignored the hard thuds her heart was doing against her chest as she proceeded to pick her artist and Sirius’ tattoo.

Ten minutes later Hermione stood over Sirius, who was now sitting back in one of the chairs, with a wide, challenging smile. ‘Left sleeve up please.’ Sirius stared defiantly at her as he slowly rolled it up past his elbow. She took his hand, her thoughts almost stuttering when she saw a long scar running up the inside of forearm. ‘How are you feeling about keeping this scar naked?’ she asked, the question leaving her more confidently than she was feeling, like she’d seen it a million times and didn’t have a million questions about how he got it in her head.

‘I’m not opposed to covering it up,’ he said with slight tug of a smile at the corner of his mouth, a haunted look in his eyes.

Hermione handed the design she’d picked to his artist, having not shown Sirius. ‘Cover it up,’ she instructed before holding Sirius’ questioning gaze. ‘Now you’ll be stuck thinking about me and this moment when I’m gone.’ That got her another bark of a laugh, which made her giggle in return.

‘She’s not to see what I’ve picked for her,’ Sirius called to the woman called Andromeda doing Hermione’s tattoo. ‘And it’s to go here!’ Sirius pointed at the top of his left thigh, almost too high to be decent. She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘We had a deal, sweetheart.’

‘Fair enough,’ she said heavily, moving to the chair and hiked her dress up to the agreed place.

Andromeda pulled a curtain around the chair. ‘You can always pick another place.’

‘No,’ she whispered, ‘I want it there.’

‘You two been together a while?’ she asked, preparing Hermione’s thigh.

Hermione jolted at the question. ‘No,’ she said quickly, ‘this is our first date. Probably our last.’

Andromeda laughed, with a shake of her head. ‘I doubt that.’

‘I leave for a year in a couple of months. It has to be,’ Hermione said, swallowing against the lump in her throat. Andromeda glanced up at her, looking like she was preparing to be more of a therapist than a tattoo artist at that moment. Hermione shrugged. 

‘I grew up with Sirius,’ she said quietly as she prepared the ink. ‘I know everything about him and what makes him tick. I think he’ll wait for you to come back.’

Hermione’s head snapped up at the curtain, Sirius on the other side of the room behind it, wishing with all her heart that that might be true. 

XXXXXX

Sirius walked Hermione home once they were done, neither of them having seen the product of their dare. Hermione was grateful the spring night was cool as the wind that skimmed her skin helped with the grazed feeling on her thigh. They’d promised to look before they went to bed and not a moment before.

Seeing her shiver suddenly, Sirius lightly dropped his leather jacket over her shoulders, the smell of leather and lingering aftershave enshrouding her. She pulled it tightly with a smile of thanks to him.

There was a comfortable silence as they worked their way through the streets of Fulham, arriving at Hermione’s flat sooner than she wanted. Turning to face him, she said, ‘I had a really good night. Despite the pain you’ve caused me.’

Sirius gave her a smirk. ‘That’s pretty much my M.O.’

Reluctantly, she shrugged off the jacket and handed it to him. ‘I hope you don’t hate it too much,’ she said, pointing to arm as he put his jacket on.

‘Couldn’t hate it more than that scar,’ he admitted, staring at his forearm. 

The silence became heavy, almost awkward. ‘Well, goodnight, Sirius.’ She started walking up the steps to her door. When she got to the top, she found him stood there waiting for her to go in. Swallow back any uncertainty she said, ‘Do you want to come in for a drink?’

Sirius gave her a warm smile. ‘I shouldn’t. Wouldn’t want to completely ruin your reputation beyond repair. It’s bad enough you’ve been seen out with me.’ He gave her a nod before walking away. 

Hermione watched him take a few steps. ‘Didn’t you say just this evening that you only live once!’

Sirius stopped walking, turning back to her with a smirk. ‘I did.’

Stepping out of her comfort zone, Hermione unlocked the door and walked in, leaving it open.

X

Saturday

Waking up to the feel of someone lying next to her was very surreal. Something she hadn’t done in a long time. She had to admit that she didn’t think he would’ve stayed the whole night. Rolling on to her side, Hermione stared at the back of Sirius, his shoulder-length, curly hair across the pillow, his upper back covered with a large landscape tattoo of a castle sitting high on rocks. She leaned in closely, noticing the small bumps under the black ink; more scars. Before she knew what she was doing, Hermione started tracing them.

Sirius rolled onto his back at the contact, smiling lazily at her. ‘Morning,’ he said, his voice thick, moving his right arm so she could snuggle in. She did so willingly, stretching her head to give him a kiss. He lifted his left arm, now uncovered. ‘An otter?’ She smiled at the line drawing of an otter swimming on it’s back, the bulk of the line now covering his scar, his skin still red.

‘It’s my favourite animal,’ she said simply. Hermione flung the blanket off their naked bodies, modesty long gone, and pointed to her thigh. ‘Care to explain?’

Sirius sat up, leaning forward to kiss the tattoo, his hair tickling her skin. In a typewriter font was a Latin phrase; macte virtute sic itur ad astra. ‘Excellence is the way to the stars,’ he said, looking up at her with an intense expression. ‘You deserve the stars, Hermione. And I know you will excel at anything you do in life.’

She sat up quickly, feeling tears prickling unexpectedly, forcing Sirius to sit up too, and breathed in deeply at the suddenly pressure she felt in her chest. She’d had so much planned for her life, so many broken dreams, but life had been cruel, snatching so much of it away as she started her adult life. But if life hadn’t gone the way it had, if she hadn’t met Lucius Malfoy, who picked her up and gave her a job, she’d never have served Sirius and slowly fell in love with him each time she’d interacted with him. Even if she had felt it was one-sided.

‘Why couldn’t this have happened months ago, Sirius?’ she asked with a heavy sigh, annoyance flashing through her at the tear that slipped down her cheek. Then she clapped a hand to her mouth. ‘Sorry, that was too much. Forget it. I didn’t mean it.’

‘Didn’t you?’ Sirius brushed her hair over her shoulder, before cupping her cheek. ‘I’d really like for you to mean it,’ he said honestly.

‘Why didn’t you ask me out sooner? I didn’t even think you’d noticed me,’ she said, pulling his hand down and keeping hold of it. He gripped it tightly.

‘You could’ve asked too,’ he said, amusement clear in his eyes. ‘You gave me no hint that you felt the same.’

‘But…I was sure you knew. The others-’

‘Did tell me, but I never believed them. I’m from the school of actions speaking louder than words,’ he said gently. ‘I only come to your coffee shop because you’re there. There are two others closer to my home.’

Hermione groaned and laughed at the same time, dropping her head down on to his shoulder. ‘Aren’t we a bit of a mess!’

‘You could say that,’ he said, lifting her head up to give her a deep kiss. When he pulled away, he leant his forehead against hers. ‘Thank you for not asking about the scars. I can’t really talk about them without it doing more damage. Sometimes it’s the people around me that get hurt.’

She pulled back, brushing his hair off his face, wondering if she could be this honest with him so soon. She had nothing to lose really. And maybe it could be something good for him. ‘In the spirit of us being honest…’ she trailed off, now looking anywhere but at him, ‘and knowing that if I scare you off, I don’t have to be here to see it…’

Sirius forced her to look at him, smiling at her. ‘Finish the sentence, Hermione.’

‘I’ve been in love with you for the longest time.’

‘You don’t know me,’ he said sadly.

‘You don’t know me either, but you picked this phrase.’ She pointed at her thigh.

‘I hurt people.’

‘I’m already damaged.’

‘You don’t want to save me,’ Sirius said, his voice cracking with a deep pain she didn’t know about.

‘You don’t need saving. You need love and understanding. We all do.’ Then she sat back from him. ‘I wasn’t telling you in the hopes of it being returned. I was telling you because I see everything about you in those visits you make to the store.

‘I see the way you watch everyone when you think no one is watching you. I see you stand up for Neville when the customers get angry and impatient with him. I see you truly listen to Pansy, listen past all her hurtful comments, because you are the only one she’s ever open with. I see you hold doors open, help people to their tables, and help feed the babies so their mums can have a moment with their coffee before it gets cold.

‘I see all the pain in your eyes, even when you’re giving your brightest smile. I see all the love you still have for the world, despite the pain it’s caused you. I see the days you struggle to breathe. I see how you don’t think you’re worthy to be loved.

‘I see it all, Sirius, and I’m telling you I love you because no matter what path we end up on after today, know that you are loved. You are always worthy of love.’

Hermione could see him slowly building up walls, shutting her out as she spoke. She didn’t care. He was right. You only lived once. ‘I will tell you every day, no matter where we are in the world,’ she said firmly. ‘Especially when you try to shut me out like you’re doing now.’

‘No escapin’ the way you feel, eh?’ he said, his voice thick with emotion, the humour he was going for not quite coming out.

‘I realise it’s a lot to hear, but at least you know nothing has to come of it. Lucius has already bought my plane tickets to make sure I don’t drag my feet and I’ll be gone soon.’

‘What?’ Sirius sat up straight, searching her face. ‘When?’

‘Six weeks.’

‘Oh…that soon,’ he said, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. Then he was off the bed, getting dressed quickly. 

Hermione frowned watching him, pulling the blanket around her. If he wanted to run away, she wasn’t going to try and stop him. She felt like if she did, it would be like making a tiger feel caged. Trapped. Especially with everything she’d just told him. ‘Sirius?’ she said quietly when he finished putting his boots on. ‘Thank you for last night,’ she said, trying to convey everything in that one little sentence.

Sirius leant across the bed to give her a kiss, the action so familiar already, like coming home. ‘We still have six weeks. We can fit a lot in six weeks.’ And then he was gone, leaving the scent of his aftershave on her pillow.

X

Sunday

Hermione arrived into work for the Sunday lunch shift feeling emotionally wrung out. She’d spent the rest of Saturday packing up the things she would give to charity, her thoughts constantly going over what she’d told Sirius, regret flooding her body as she did. What had been the point when she was leaving? It wasn’t like it helped her. It made her feel worse, like she’d lost the love of her life without really having them.

Unsurprisingly, Sirius didn’t come in for his usual Sunday visit, but it didn’t stop her looking up at the queue every few minutes while she made the drinks, hoping to see his familiar black hair and smiling face. With the lunch rush, she could almost pretend the date hadn’t happened for a few minutes, then the material of her jeans would rub at the tattoo and she’d flinch with the bruised pain and memory.

Once the rush had died down, knowing that they wouldn’t be busy for the rest of the day now, Hermione went into the back. ‘Draco?’ she started, not hiding the tone of a favour in her voice.

‘Don’t you have better things to do than bother me?’ Draco said with a smirk. His expression became serious when he saw hers. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing,’ she said quickly, ‘I was just wondering if I could go home early. Feeling a bit rundown. Ginny and Harry have already said they’ll be fine for the last hour.’

‘Sure- yes. Do you want me to get cover for tomorrow?’

She shook her head. ‘No, I’ll be fine.’ She took her apron off. ‘Thanks, Draco.’

She took her time walking home, the dark grey clouds threatening to open up on her, but Hermione didn’t feel like rushing. It wasn’t until she reached her street that she finally looked up from staring at her feet, glancing to her flat halfway down the street. She stopped for a moment when she saw sat Sirius sat at the top of her steps, leaning his elbows on his knees, staring at his hands.

When she started walking again, the movement seemed to grab Sirius’ attention. Lifting his head, he stood up quickly when he realised it was Hermione, but stayed where he was.

‘I wasn’t sure what time you finished your shift,’ he said as way of explanation for his presence on her front step when she got near.

She paused at the bottom of the steps, looking up at him. ‘I’m sorry about yesterday morning,’ she started as she walked up to him.

‘Don’t be,’ he said quickly before she could carry on, stepping to the side so she could unlock the door. He followed her into the hallway, and the moment the door was shut, he pulled her too him, giving her a deep and bruising kissing, her hands gripping onto his jacket in response as she kissed him back. Finally he pulled back, his long fingers digging painfully into her hips, both of them breathless.

‘I’m shit at words and could never say anything the way you did. You’ll never know what it meant to me,’ he said once they got their breath back. ‘I just needed a minute. To understand what you were giving me.’

She kissed him back before moving away, shrugging off her coat. ‘You don’t need to say anything. It’s okay, Sirius,’ she said gently, walking down the hallway to the kitchen, moving around piles of books she was still sorting out.

Sirius followed her, glancing around at the wonky piles in amusement. ‘Do you always keep your books like this?’

‘What’s wrong with the way I store my books?’ she asked, giving him her best mock-confused expression.

‘You’re right, no human being would stack books like this. Only witches do,’ Sirius said with a wicked grin.

‘Careful. I’m excellent at curses,’ she teased, flicking the kettle on.

‘I believe you,’ Sirius said, stretching to grab her hand and pull her back to him. ‘And I intend to find out for myself in six very short weeks!’

X

Six Weeks Later

Hermione stretched her tired body as she waited for her suitcase to come around the luggage carousel. She’d barely slept on any of the flights to New Zealand, her heart already desperately aching for a man who would never really be hers. She’d spent six glorious weeks with Sirius during every spare moment she wasn’t working or packing up her life in England. Now she wasn’t sure if she should’ve have followed through on coming here. But she’d planned for this long before she’d even met Sirius. And her grandmother would be spinning in her grave if she ever gave up a dream for a man.

Also, who was to say if Sirius would’ve wanted anything longer than six weeks. He seemed to almost relish in the fact that their relationship would always be short. A way out before it got too much. Sighing as she spotted her suitcase coming, she knew she would have to accept six weeks was all she could have with him, and it was more than she’d ever hoped for before their first date.

They’d spent every day together right up until the day before her departure. She said her goodbyes in the morning, telling him that she didn’t want him at the airport, and if she left it any closer to her leaving, she might not get on the plane. Sirius understood and left with a kiss. And then raced back for one more before she closed the door to her flat, not able to watch him walk down the street.

Walking out of the departures gate, Hermione couldn’t wait to get to the hotel for a bath and to fall into bed. She wasn’t even sure she’d bother with food. Or even trying to fight through the jet lag as a clock above her head told it was only one in the afternoon local time.

She came to a stuttering halt, nearly tripping over her shuffling feet, before she got to the exit of the airport. No. She was hallucinating. The lack of sleep in the last twenty-four hours was playing tricks on her. She blinked hard, even letting go of her case to rub at her dry eyes. He didn’t disappear.

There, walking towards her with the usual cocky half-smirk he used for her, was Sirius Black. She tried to take a step forward, but her body wouldn’t move. It wasn’t until he was stood before her, his hands gently touching her face, she realised he was actually there. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said stupidly.

‘I’ve always wanted to see New Zealand,’ he said simply. ‘If it’s alright with you, I thought I’d join you.’

She reached out to touch his chest, laying her palm over his heart. He was really there. He put a hand over hers. ‘You didn’t think I’d let the woman I love just leave me, did you?’

‘What?’ Her heart was practically beating out of her chest. Sirius had never said how he felt about her, but as he’d said from the start, his actions spoke louder than words ever could.

‘I knew I loved you the moment you saw my scars and you didn’t even flinch. Instead you covered up my worst one and…what was it you said?’ He didn’t need reminding, he was forcing Hermione to remember.

‘You’ll be stuck remembering me and that moment,’ she said quietly. She’d intended it to be a joke.

Sirius laughed at the word ‘stuck’. ‘Right. But what was really happening was you took my darkest moment and you stamped your love on it, without even knowing what you were doing. So now you’re stuck with me. Whether you like it or not.’

Hermione gave him a wobbly smile. ‘You’re an idiot, Sirius Black,’ she said, pulling him down sharply by his t-shirt so she could kiss him, ignoring the catcalls they got from a group of men on their way out of the airport.


End file.
